1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a leash assembly designed to quickly and efficiently attach an animal to and release an animal from a lead normally used to restrain or control the animal when connected thereto, and to a quick release coupling assembly which the leash assembly incorporates.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is widely known that there are millions of dog owners in this country as well as other countries throughout the world. Dogs comprise one of the most popular types of animals for household pets. Of course, dogs are extremely popular animals for other than simple companionship. Other uses of dogs include working dogs and show dogs. In turn, working dogs may be classified as dogs utilized for police enforcement purposes, military activities, dogs trained for hunting and also dogs specifically trained to aid those individuals who are visually impaired.
Regardless of the above classifications, the care and maintenance of dogs require the use of numerous auxiliary or supplementary items. Among the most popular is the dog leash or tethering apparatus wherein dogs are retained and/or restricted for purposes of control when not contained by fences in a yard or like area. Moreover, similar type leash assemblies are also useful on a variety of different animals including pets and farm animals, such as horses.
It is also well recognized that leash structures, collars, harnesses, etc. are available in numerous and varying designs intended to control an animal for different purposes. Prior art structures exist which comprise leash and collar combinations specifically structured such that the length of a lead of the leash assembly is selectively variable so that the dog or animal being tethered may enjoy a greater range of movement and freedom when the surrounding area allows. Alternately, the tethered animal may be better controlled, by shortening the length of the extendable lead in areas which do not allow the free roaming of the dog. Other prior art leash or tethering assemblies are specifically designed to allow control and retention of the dog or other animal while significantly reducing or eliminating the tangling of the dog in the retaining harness and/or about an anchoring structure to which the animal is tethered.
One area not specifically addressed by prior or related art leash and retaining harness assemblies, however, is the ability to quickly and effectively provide for both the quick connection and disconnection of an animal to and from the leash assembly. In the majority of conventional or known leash assemblies, it is necessary for a handler to manipulate a coupling structure utilizing both hands, wherein the coupling structure serves to connect the distal end of the lead to the collar or retaining harness mounted on the animal. This generally involves direct handling or manipulation of any one of a large variety of such coupling structures. Attachment of the animal can be extremely difficult, particularly when the dog or animal being tethered is overly frisky or otherwise in an excited state. Also, in accomplishing either attachment or detachment of the lead from the collar or like harness particular problems are encountered by the elderly or by those who are visually or otherwise physically challenged. In addition to the above, the handling of larger animals, such as horses and/or working dogs of the type trained to conduct police enforcement and/or military activities, requires that the animal be kept under control by the handler. However, in cases of emergency, it is equally important that the animal be released or detached from his controlling lead as quickly as possible as it could be dangerous for the animal to begin running while dragging the lead or any part of the leash assembly. Conversely, if the animal is loose, it may be necessary to quickly re-harness the animal in order to restrain its movement in a hazardous situation.
Accordingly, there is a recognized need in this area for a leash or tethering assembly which is specifically structured to accomplish a quick and efficient attachment or detachment of the animal, as well as quick and effective restraint of the animal. Such release should not require the direct manipulation of a coupling connector which serves to attach the distal end of a lead to the collar or harness mounted on the animal. Further, such a preferred leash assembly should be structured such that a quick and effective detachment or release of the animal can be accomplished through a manipulation of release or activating structures located a spaced distance from the animal and from the actual rotating coupling member serving to connect the animal harness to the lead.
As set forth above, retractable leash and/or tethering devices for dogs and other animals are of course known. However, in order to maintain even greater control of the animal being tethered, it is desirable to combine certain advantages of a retractable lead with structure capable of accomplishing a quick and efficient detachment of the distal or free end of the lead from the collar or harness mounted on the animal. Retractable leash assemblies of the type commercially available are typically spring biased to the extent that a release mechanism allows a free extension of the lead structure as the tethered animal travels a greater distance from the handler. However, in these known devices, the lead cannot normally be retracted or rewound without the handler first providing slack in the lead by following or chasing the animal and thereby shortening the distance between the handler and the animal prior to rewinding the lead for storage.
Another problem existing with conventional leash assemblies is the ability to efficiently and quickly accomplish attachment of the free end of the lead to the harness. Typically, known devices include a variety of snap on couplings requiring the use of both hands of the handler to attach the lead to the harness. This presents a distinct problem particularly when the animal is excited to the extent of requiring the animal as well as the harness to be firmly gripped or held in order to maintain control of the animal during the attachment of the lead to the harness. Therefore, there is a need for a preferred quick release coupling assembly capable of accomplishing a quick and efficient attachment of the lead to a collar, harness or similar attachment assembly while requiring only a single hand of a user thereof. Further, such a quick release coupling assembly will have numerous other practical applications including, but not limited to, tie downs for tools and equipment, securing luggage and/or sporting equipment, temporary barrier devices, body harnesses, and key chains, just to name few.
The present invention relates to a leash assembly designed to allow control of a dog or other animal by a handler and which is structured to accomplish a quick detachment of the animal from a remote position without requiring the direct handling or manipulation of the coupling assembly serving to interconnect the collar, harness, or similar attachment assembly to the distal end of the lead. The present invention is also designed and structured to provide a quick and efficient attachment of a lead to an attachment assembly utilizing only a single hand of the user or handler. More specifically, the present invention comprises a flexible material lead being of any appropriate or preferred length and terminating at a distal end and an oppositely disposed proximal end. A preferably rotating coupling assembly is connected, at least in part, to the distal end of the lead and is specifically structured to accomplish a quick and easy attachment of the lead to the attachment assembly, as well as a quick release or detachment of the lead from an attachment assembly mounted directly on the animal being tethered.
In order to accomplish such quick release of the coupling assembly, the present invention further comprises a release structure preferably in the form of a release or positioning cable formed of metallic or other applicable material having sufficient structural integrity to be movable axially along its own length and exert an axially directed force on a coupling assembly to be described in greater detail hereinafter. The term xe2x80x9cstructural integrityxe2x80x9d refers to the structural features of the release cable being of a material with sufficient rigidity, while still being flexible, to exert the aforementioned axially directed force on the coupling assembly or otherwise structured to be axially moveable along the length of the lead so as to exert the aforementioned force on the coupling assembly and thereby orient the coupling assembly in a disconnect position, as will be explained in greater detailed hereinafter.
The release structure or cable is mounted on and preferably within the interior of the lead structure and extends along the length thereof between the aforementioned distal end and proximal end. One end of the release cable is disposed adjacent the distal end of the lead and is connected directly to the preferably rotating coupling assembly. Selective axial movement of the release cable causes a disconnection of the coupling components defining the subject coupling assembly. The aforementioned quick release is thereby accomplished from a location remote from the animal without the necessity of directly handling or manipulating the coupling assembly. Alternate embodiments of the present invention include a coupling assembly comprising magnetically attractive components, and a release structure comprising an electromagnet whose polarity may be reversed to alternately facilitate the attachment and release of the components.
To accomplish the desired quick release, the present invention also includes an activation assembly mounted adjacent the proximal end of the lead structure and includes an activation member connected directly to the correspondingly positioned end of the release cable. Depending upon the various embodiments, to be described in greater detail hereinafter, the activation member may be disposed and configured for direct manipulation by a thumb or finger of a single hand of a person gripping a handle portion of the activation assembly which is connected to the proximal end of the lead. By depressing or otherwise manipulating the activation member, the release cable is forced to move axially along its length relative to the lead on which it is mounted. This movement will cause an axially directed force to be exerted directly on at least one of the coupling components of the coupling assembly and a disconnection of the coupling assembly. A quick release and/or detachment of the attachment assembly will thereby be effected. Additional embodiments of the present invention include an electronically operated activation assembly, which may or may not be radio activated.
Another feature of one preferred embodiment of the leash assembly of the present invention further includes an activation assembly comprising a drive motor to be actuated by a user. The drive motor is configured, such as by attachment to a take-up or storage spool, to effectuate storage of the lead itself and/or activation of the quick release structure.
An additional embodiment of the present invention includes the coupling assembly structured to provide a quick attachment and detachment of the distal, free end of the lead structure to the attachment assembly mounted on the animal. In addition, an equivalently structured coupling assembly may be used to connect opposite free ends of the attachment assembly to one another around the animal in an intended fashion. In the aforementioned coupling assembly, first and second components are structured so as to be attached to one another in a manner which only requires a single hand of the handler or user of the leash assembly of the present invention. Quick and easy release of the two components of the coupling assembly from one another is accomplished by manipulation of the activation assembly and movement of the release structure mounted within the lead, as set forth above. More specifically, each of the components of the present invention may be positioned into a predetermined aligned engagement with one another such that a pushing force exerted on the first and second components of the coupling assembly will cause a quick and efficient attachment of the two components to one another. Such quick attachment can be accomplished without manipulation of a spring biased plunger normally associated with generally known, swivel type coupling assemblies. Further, the coupling assembly may include an alignment assembly structured and disposed to facilitate the aforementioned predetermined aligned engagement of the components with one another. The alignment assembly preferably comprises magnetic surfaces on each component of the coupling assembly cooperatively disposed in engageable relation with one another when the components are aligned.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a leash assembly which is strong and secure, yet which also provides for the quick and easy release of the animal restrained thereby.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a leash assembly which is substantially easy to operate and does not require direct user manipulation of a coupling assembly when connecting the attachment assembly on the animal to a lead structure associated with the leash assembly.
It is also an important object of the present invention to provide a leash assembly structured to facilitate rapid and efficient connection of an attachment assembly, mounted on the animal, to a lead structure in a manner which requires minimal manipulation and the use of only one hand of the animal handler.
Yet another object to the present invention is to provide a leash assembly including a lead which may be retracted or extended in a controlled manner whether or not the free end of the lead structure is secured to the attachment assembly. It is also an important object to the present invention to provide the leash assembly, including the various operative components associated therewith, which is formed from a light weight yet durable material so as to be operable over an extended period and which is structurally designed to be produced or manufactured relatively inexpensively so as to make the present invention available to a wide range of potential customers.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a quick release coupling assembly which may be utilized in a variety of other connection applications. The need for a quick release and/or attachment coupling exists in many applications, for example, tie downs for equipment, tools, or machinery, securing luggage and/or sporting equipment, temporary barrier devices, body harnesses, and key chains. Thus, the present invention provides such a quick release coupling assembly for the aforementioned applications, however, the present invention may be utilized in numerous other connection applications as may easily be envisioned.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more clear when the drawings as well as the detailed description are taken into consideration.